T-Birds Bombard Charlotte Net in Explosive Win
AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Bombard Charlotte Net in Explosive Win

Published on February 28, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate a goal
Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate a goal
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass - The Springfield Thunderbirds (21-25-5-2) overpowered the Charlotte Checkers (30-18-4-0) on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 6,793 inside the MassMutual Center on Military Appreciation Night, coming away with a 5-1 victory.

Zach Dean provided instant offense on Friday night, and the third-year pro experienced deja vu on this night, jabbing home a 2-on-1 pass from Hugh McGing just 2:20 into the action to give Springfield a 1-0 lead.

Unlike a night earlier, Steve Ott's team was able to build upon its early lead with two successful penalty kills, followed by a power-play redirection by Matthew Peca at 18:57 of the first, as the captain tipped a Calle Rosen shot through Kirill Gerasimyuk.

The T-Birds' offense proved to be far from finished, as Alek Kaskimaki took a breakaway pass from Otto Stenberg at 4:30 of the second and stayed with his initial shot to cash in on a rebound past Gerasimyuk, extending the lead to 3-0.

Charlotte finally got on the board just 52 seconds later when Noah Gregor crashed the net to chip a Brian Pinho pass over the shoulder of Will Cranley, but it proved to be just a small blip on the T-Birds' radar in what would evolve into a firestorm of offense for the home team.

Only 1:03 of game time passed before Springfield had restored its three-goal advantage, as Jakub Stancl circled the offensive zone to the right circle before firing the puck back toward the goal mouth. Dylan Peterson parked himself right outside the crease and allowed the puck to ricochet off his skate and past Gerasimyuk to make it a 4-1 game, chasing Gerasimyuk from the game in the process.

Charlotte backup Louis Domingue did not fare much better, as McGing revved up the ice on a breakaway 55 seconds later. McGing was tripped and may have earned a penalty shot, but as he was falling, the puck continued on a straight line path under Domingue's legs, giving McGing credit for the third T-Birds goal in a 2:50 blitz, extending the lead to 5-1.

There would be no more goals in the final half of the game, but the fireworks were far from done, and with just eight seconds remaining and tempers flaring, Cranley and Domingue met at center and dropped the mitts for a goalie fight, the first in T-Birds history, which left the sellout crowd in an uproar to close out the victory.

The T-Birds make their one road stopoff in a ten-game stretch on Wednesday for their next contest, as they pay a visit to Pennsylvania to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

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Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate a goal
Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate a goal
   



American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2026


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